Martha's birth year on her tombstone is incorrect. I believe that whoever was inscribing it made the mistake of placing a 3 instead of an 8, which would be an easy mistake to make.
Martha's parents were married on 21 Feb 1886, in Haralson County, Georgia, and their first child was born later that year. Furthermore, Martha's husband was born in 1890 (not 1894 as indicated on his tombstone - see the bottom of this memorial for evidence), and his descendants all agree that Martha was not 7 years older than he was. My grandmother is one of these descendants, and before they passed, I had conversations about this with his daughters by his second wife, Maudie and Margie.
Martha was the 2nd of 7 children born to:
William A. McElroy (son of Alpheus "Alf" McElroy and Elizabeth (Little) McElroy)
Syntha Jane (Allred) McElroy (daughter of Jim Allred and Martha (Jackson) Allred).
Martha's siblings were:
Emma "Emmer" (McElroy) Chandler
William "Willie" Elijah (sp. Eliga) McElroy (#45586706)
(1892-1974)
m. Vesta Leslie (Gentry) McElroy (#45586705) (1900-1979)
m. 26 Dec 1920
Both are buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Tallapoosa, GA
George Luther McElroy
John A. "Johnny" McElroy
Infant Daughter McElroy
Lillie Mae (McElroy) Godwin
Martha Jane (McElroy) Bell married John Jehu Bell on 24 Jun 1906, in Haralson County, GA, and they had four children:
1) Albert Anderson "Red" "Ab" Bell
2) Dessie Leona (Bell) Godwin
3) Calvin L. Bell
4) Alvin Elijah "Murdock" Bell
The birth year shown on John's tombstone in Arkansas is incorrect. He was NOT born in 1894, as he would have been only 14 years old when he married 17-year-old Martha in 1906. Earlier census records state that he was born in 1890. This seems more likely, since he had a sibling (Noie Bell) born on 10 Feb 1894, thus making his birthdate of 13 Jan 1894 impossible, and the only "gap" in the line of children that his mother gave birth to occurred between 1887-1892. Thus, John being born in 1889 or 1890, is much more likely. He lied about his age in order to get out of serving during the WWI draft (Yes, he was a draft dodger), which is why he left Martha in about 1918.
Martha was pregnant with Alvin, when he left and moved eventually to Arkansas. He married Aletha Mae (Thomas) Bell, possibly in Alabama, where their first child was born. He and Aletha had seven children together. Our family has been in contact with his children in Arkansas, and they are some of the sweetest individuals we have ever met. Maudie (Bell) Hammock and Marjorie "Aunt Margie" (Bell) Welch came out to visit us several times, and we went out there to visit them before they passed away just a few years ago. We love them and are glad that we can call them family.
Martha's parents were married on 21 Feb 1886, in Haralson County, Georgia, and their first child was born later that year. Furthermore, Martha's husband was born in 1890 (not 1894 as indicated on his tombstone - see the bottom of this memorial for evidence), and his descendants all agree that Martha was not 7 years older than he was. My grandmother is one of these descendants, and before they passed, I had conversations about this with his daughters by his second wife, Maudie and Margie.
Martha was the 2nd of 7 children born to:
William A. McElroy (son of Alpheus "Alf" McElroy and Elizabeth (Little) McElroy)
Syntha Jane (Allred) McElroy (daughter of Jim Allred and Martha (Jackson) Allred).
Martha's siblings were:
Emma "Emmer" (McElroy) Chandler
William "Willie" Elijah (sp. Eliga) McElroy (#45586706)
(1892-1974)
m. Vesta Leslie (Gentry) McElroy (#45586705) (1900-1979)
m. 26 Dec 1920
Both are buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Tallapoosa, GA
George Luther McElroy
John A. "Johnny" McElroy
Infant Daughter McElroy
Lillie Mae (McElroy) Godwin
Martha Jane (McElroy) Bell married John Jehu Bell on 24 Jun 1906, in Haralson County, GA, and they had four children:
1) Albert Anderson "Red" "Ab" Bell
2) Dessie Leona (Bell) Godwin
3) Calvin L. Bell
4) Alvin Elijah "Murdock" Bell
The birth year shown on John's tombstone in Arkansas is incorrect. He was NOT born in 1894, as he would have been only 14 years old when he married 17-year-old Martha in 1906. Earlier census records state that he was born in 1890. This seems more likely, since he had a sibling (Noie Bell) born on 10 Feb 1894, thus making his birthdate of 13 Jan 1894 impossible, and the only "gap" in the line of children that his mother gave birth to occurred between 1887-1892. Thus, John being born in 1889 or 1890, is much more likely. He lied about his age in order to get out of serving during the WWI draft (Yes, he was a draft dodger), which is why he left Martha in about 1918.
Martha was pregnant with Alvin, when he left and moved eventually to Arkansas. He married Aletha Mae (Thomas) Bell, possibly in Alabama, where their first child was born. He and Aletha had seven children together. Our family has been in contact with his children in Arkansas, and they are some of the sweetest individuals we have ever met. Maudie (Bell) Hammock and Marjorie "Aunt Margie" (Bell) Welch came out to visit us several times, and we went out there to visit them before they passed away just a few years ago. We love them and are glad that we can call them family.
Martha's birth year on her tombstone is incorrect. I believe that whoever was inscribing it made the mistake of placing a 3 instead of an 8, which would be an easy mistake to make.
Martha's parents were married on 21 Feb 1886, in Haralson County, Georgia, and their first child was born later that year. Furthermore, Martha's husband was born in 1890 (not 1894 as indicated on his tombstone - see the bottom of this memorial for evidence), and his descendants all agree that Martha was not 7 years older than he was. My grandmother is one of these descendants, and before they passed, I had conversations about this with his daughters by his second wife, Maudie and Margie.
Martha was the 2nd of 7 children born to:
William A. McElroy (son of Alpheus "Alf" McElroy and Elizabeth (Little) McElroy)
Syntha Jane (Allred) McElroy (daughter of Jim Allred and Martha (Jackson) Allred).
Martha's siblings were:
Emma "Emmer" (McElroy) Chandler
William "Willie" Elijah (sp. Eliga) McElroy (#45586706)
(1892-1974)
m. Vesta Leslie (Gentry) McElroy (#45586705) (1900-1979)
m. 26 Dec 1920
Both are buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Tallapoosa, GA
George Luther McElroy
John A. "Johnny" McElroy
Infant Daughter McElroy
Lillie Mae (McElroy) Godwin
Martha Jane (McElroy) Bell married John Jehu Bell on 24 Jun 1906, in Haralson County, GA, and they had four children:
1) Albert Anderson "Red" "Ab" Bell
2) Dessie Leona (Bell) Godwin
3) Calvin L. Bell
4) Alvin Elijah "Murdock" Bell
The birth year shown on John's tombstone in Arkansas is incorrect. He was NOT born in 1894, as he would have been only 14 years old when he married 17-year-old Martha in 1906. Earlier census records state that he was born in 1890. This seems more likely, since he had a sibling (Noie Bell) born on 10 Feb 1894, thus making his birthdate of 13 Jan 1894 impossible, and the only "gap" in the line of children that his mother gave birth to occurred between 1887-1892. Thus, John being born in 1889 or 1890, is much more likely. He lied about his age in order to get out of serving during the WWI draft (Yes, he was a draft dodger), which is why he left Martha in about 1918.
Martha was pregnant with Alvin, when he left and moved eventually to Arkansas. He married Aletha Mae (Thomas) Bell, possibly in Alabama, where their first child was born. He and Aletha had seven children together. Our family has been in contact with his children in Arkansas, and they are some of the sweetest individuals we have ever met. Maudie (Bell) Hammock and Marjorie "Aunt Margie" (Bell) Welch came out to visit us several times, and we went out there to visit them before they passed away just a few years ago. We love them and are glad that we can call them family.
Martha's parents were married on 21 Feb 1886, in Haralson County, Georgia, and their first child was born later that year. Furthermore, Martha's husband was born in 1890 (not 1894 as indicated on his tombstone - see the bottom of this memorial for evidence), and his descendants all agree that Martha was not 7 years older than he was. My grandmother is one of these descendants, and before they passed, I had conversations about this with his daughters by his second wife, Maudie and Margie.
Martha was the 2nd of 7 children born to:
William A. McElroy (son of Alpheus "Alf" McElroy and Elizabeth (Little) McElroy)
Syntha Jane (Allred) McElroy (daughter of Jim Allred and Martha (Jackson) Allred).
Martha's siblings were:
Emma "Emmer" (McElroy) Chandler
William "Willie" Elijah (sp. Eliga) McElroy (#45586706)
(1892-1974)
m. Vesta Leslie (Gentry) McElroy (#45586705) (1900-1979)
m. 26 Dec 1920
Both are buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Tallapoosa, GA
George Luther McElroy
John A. "Johnny" McElroy
Infant Daughter McElroy
Lillie Mae (McElroy) Godwin
Martha Jane (McElroy) Bell married John Jehu Bell on 24 Jun 1906, in Haralson County, GA, and they had four children:
1) Albert Anderson "Red" "Ab" Bell
2) Dessie Leona (Bell) Godwin
3) Calvin L. Bell
4) Alvin Elijah "Murdock" Bell
The birth year shown on John's tombstone in Arkansas is incorrect. He was NOT born in 1894, as he would have been only 14 years old when he married 17-year-old Martha in 1906. Earlier census records state that he was born in 1890. This seems more likely, since he had a sibling (Noie Bell) born on 10 Feb 1894, thus making his birthdate of 13 Jan 1894 impossible, and the only "gap" in the line of children that his mother gave birth to occurred between 1887-1892. Thus, John being born in 1889 or 1890, is much more likely. He lied about his age in order to get out of serving during the WWI draft (Yes, he was a draft dodger), which is why he left Martha in about 1918.
Martha was pregnant with Alvin, when he left and moved eventually to Arkansas. He married Aletha Mae (Thomas) Bell, possibly in Alabama, where their first child was born. He and Aletha had seven children together. Our family has been in contact with his children in Arkansas, and they are some of the sweetest individuals we have ever met. Maudie (Bell) Hammock and Marjorie "Aunt Margie" (Bell) Welch came out to visit us several times, and we went out there to visit them before they passed away just a few years ago. We love them and are glad that we can call them family.
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